ok so i am looking to get into rally, starting with the rally cross. gonna get a new ride to dedicate to that. my question is what should i go for in terms of suspension (how should it be set up), what about wheels, weight, power, etc
input is appreciated

budget will dictate this. the 1st i would do is a Limited slip differential and may a southbends rally clutch. but AT LEAST the differential. you won't run stage rally's for a while, but you will do a lot better in rally crosses w/ them.

the next is the wheels and brakes. you will want a 15" wheel which means sacrificing the svt brakes for a rally brake kit. then get some good dedicated rally dirt tires.

next, suspension. go w/ the standard hotbits 2 way adjustable or full canister setup. about a 4-600 dollar difference. IIRC, hotbits are 1700 for the pair.

seeing as how you have an SVT, you don't need to do anything else for power. if you really wanna, get an ORP/tune. but thats about it.

after you do those, you can start playing w/ adjustable camber/caster. i like 4* up front and 2 in the rear. but thats something you will have to play w/.

next you will play with poly bushings.

thats about the extent of what you will be doing w/o dropping 20-30k into the car.

leave the motor as it is. you don't need more power. in fact, in true rally, if ur inexperienced, power is what will seriously get you into trouble. the beginner rally guys, use alot of older 100-110 hp vw's. they are still extremely fast. but its cause they have car control and not power. do not get sucked into having a high hp rally car. cause unless ur a stake holder in DC shoes, ur prolly not ready for it! lol

well, it really sucks when you put 10k plus into a car, and its a piece of work and 2 miles into the 1st stage you wrap it around a tree. the general rule of thumb is, buy ur first rally car, and build ur 2nd after you know what you want!

To start in rallycross you actually need to do very little. Just about any car is capable of competing in this format. Fresh inexpensive shocks are helpful but not necessary. For tires an all season one with an aggressive tread pattern will work or use some cheap snow tires. Cooper (winter/weather master) are one of the better ones for Rallycross as they have two ply sidewalls and therefore a little less chance of rolling the bead off. No downside to using a rally tire but they usually throw you into a different class all by themselves. Use rallycross to develop driving skills like learning how to break the rear end loose when you want and how to gather it back up (aka the Scandinavian flick) and concentration.

Building a car for stage rally is a whole different ballgame and requires deep pockets. In the long run its initially better to buy a sorted used rally car (this advise coming from someone who built their first car). It's SOOOOOOO much cheaper!!!! I was convinced I could do it on a shoestring after the same advise given above was given to me. Guess what...they were right and I was very very wrong.

well i was not really planning on tackling full blown rally events just maybe some rallyx to start and get my bearings, the idea of taking even a mundane car stripping it out and making it feel like a god (as in just have some fun) on the dirt track is very appealing!!!

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